Top Down Tours joins The Australia Card

Top Down Tours who operates Cabriolet Chevrolets has joined the Australia Card and offers a 10% discount on their Beer Tours to Yarra Valley.

On this tour you visit the Major Watering Holes in Yarra Valley and have the opportunity to discover the “divine drink” which was a gift from the Gods according to the ancient and not so ancient or as one bloke puts it; Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer.

Well, here is an opportunity to check out the Beers of Yarra Valley. You start this tour by travelling the winding roads of Warrandyte to Healesville where you visit Buckleys Brewery named after William Buckley, the famous escaped convict. The beers are traditionally brewed, non-filtered and full flavoured. This is Yarra Valleys First Traditional Brewery with Solar Heated Brew. There are 4 beers to choose from. This is where you will be taken through the brewery and shown the step by step production method of making Beer.

Next stop "Innocent Bystander Giant Steps" and the new brewery 'White Rabbit'. The guys there are creating some great beers and have been awarded for "Little Creatures", the 2007 Worlds Best Ale in The Australian International Beer Awards. There is also a personal selection of some of the worlds other great beers.

Next we travel the rolling hills across to Yarra Glen to visit Hargreaves Hill Brewery. This is a family owned micro-brewery which brews with rainwater. They make the ales the old fashioned way, no preservatives, no chemicals or sugars. They have 3 new beers and 2 guest taps.

This is also where we stop for lunch at the new Bar and Restaurant. The Chef is known for his delicious modern brasserie style menu.

After lunch we visit Coldstream Brewery which is a micro-brewery that has Rod Williams as a renowned brewer for over 25 years. His experience and expertise in establishing the brewery is marked by the unique beer and ales available. There are 4 beers available.
We travel back to Melbourne via Warrandyte.
ALL BEER TASTINGS AND LUNCH NEED TO BE PAID BY CUSTOMER.

Using The Australia Card you will enjoy a 10% discount on the tour price.

Adventure Day Cruise Tasmania

This multi-award winning three-hour eco-adventure cruise takes you through some of Tasmania's unspoilt coastline like nobody else. Our safe, fast and comfortable boats ensure you're right in the adventure – seeing everything up close, feeling every thrill and experiencing nature first hand.

Bruny Island boasts stunning natural cliff formations, among the tallest in the world. The awesome 'Breathing Rock', the towering 'Monument' and the lush emerald green forests of South Bruny - you will fall in love with this island paradise. The impressive array of sea and coastal wildlife rivals many national parks throughout the world. Meet the Bruny Island seals, dolphins, whales, albatross, eagles, gannet, shearwater and petrel who live in this delicate ecosystem.

Our highly trained interpretative guides love what they do – they’ll make your experience fun, enjoyable, entertaining and informative.

After an unforgettable three hour 50km journey, you’ll return you to shore knowing you’ve been involved in a remarkable voyage of discovery – not just Tasmania's best, but simply one of the world's great environmental travel experiences.

That was straight from the brochure and here are my personal comments; this is a definite must when travelling to and in Australia and Tasmania. It shows you a part of Tasmania that you can’t experience from ashore, the beauty of the ocean with its different colour of blue and green and white, the most fantastic caves and cliff formations, amazing kelp forests all the way down to the Great Southern Ocean. On our day we were surrounded by Shearwaters and Albatrosses who majestically sailed along without the slightest movement of their wings, they just glide on the air and dive down to catch a fish now and then. The playful seals which we saw a lot of both the New Zealand fur seal and the native Australian seal and to top it off, on the return we were surrounded by 100s of dolphins diving and swimming along the boat. Spectacular !

Bring warm clothing the brochure reads but the operator also supply you with a wind and waterproof jackets that covers you from top to toe and, This was most appreciated as it gets rather cold out there on the Tasman Sea.

The staff is 100%. They know what they talk about has a fountain of knowledge and keep you spellbound throughout the cruise. . They look after all the clients on the boat very well indeed and make sure they are fine. Ginger tablets were available for those a bit apprehensive about sea sickness and some other snacks were also distributed during the trip. Again I must really commend them on their service and attitude. Absolutely tops !

We were so impressed with this cruise that we decided to take the Tasman Island Cruise as well, slightly different but again fascinating. Check it out at www.brunycruises.com.au and www.tasmancruises.com.au

Say Cheese !

We are happy to announce that McIntosh and Bowman Cheesemongers has joined The Australia Card and offers a 10% discount on their tour to Fort Denison in Sydney Harbour where their Australian Cheese and Wine Experience is held.

The experience is valued at 170.00 per person and includes transport to and from Fort Denison, Australian Sparkling on arrival, 3 canapes, 12 Australian farmhouse cheeses, 5 Australian wines, tasting notes and 2 hours with Cheese Expert Claudie McIntosh.


Claudia McIntosh, of the 'McIntosh & Bowman' partnership is the face of the company and has been the driving force and inspiration, drawing from her original and exceptional experiences abroad.

Her passion for cheese is immense and for the past 4 years she has immersed herself in cheese focused activities around the world. Her experience includes:

Completing the UK Cheese Guild Diploma gaining a High Distinction.
Working at Sheridan's Cheese Mongers, Ireland's most prestigious cheese retailer/wholesaler, for 1 year, also running their farmers market stall in the famous Temple Bar.
Doing work experience with Neal's Yard Dairy, London and working for them in Italy at the Slow Food 'International Cheese Festival' in Piedmonte.
Judging and assisting at cheese competitions including, 'The British Cheese Awards', England 2005; where she judged three categories.
Making a raw cows milk, washed rind, vegetarian rennet cheese, south of the Belfast border with Irish Cheese maker 'Silke Cropp'.
Attending courses run by international cheese expert Juliet Harbutt in Britain 2005.
Backpacking around Europe specifically to visit cheese makers and famous cheese shops and regions such as Parma in Reggio Emillia, Italy; home of the famous Parmegiano Cheese.

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Australian Bush Adventures and Farm Stay

Aussie Farmstay & Bush Adventures has joined The Australia Card and we recommend you to visit their testimonial page which speaks for itself. Only Praise for these tours and farm stay.
Aussie Farmstay and Bush Adventures was started in 2007 to give travellers to Sydney, Australia the opportunity to experience more than just the bustling city. Theyprovide tours which get off the beaten tourist track, and into the true Aussie bush.
They will give you a city escape which provides the opportunity to experience authentic Australian bush character.
Tours are designed to be relaxed and friendly. Hands on involvement of passengers in all activities are encouraged. To make the best use of time available, tours are packed with activities which showcase authentic Australian Bush character.
Sally Bray is the chief driver/guide. Sally grew up on a farm near Eugowra in Central New South Wales. She has a long and extensive background knowledge of the areas into which tours venture. Sally is passionate about sharing the Australian bush culture with others and leads tours which incorporate as many features of Australian bush life as possible.
Laurie and Bill Norris grew up on Inglevale, a small farm in the hills outside of Eugowra NSW. They are your farm stay hosts and provide a very enjoyable and hospitable stay.
Laurie and Bill are experts in many farming and bush skills and bush crafts such as sheep mustering and shearing, whip cracking, horsemanship, bush poetry, folk singing and camp fire cooking
For more details of the tours offered by Aussie Farmstay and Bush Adventures go to their website at http://www.aussiebushadventures.com/